Combined casket and burial vault



J B. BEAM.

COMBINED CASKET AND BURIAL VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1921.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS- SHEET I L'B. BEAM. COMBINED CASKET AND BURIAL VAULT.

APPLICATIONFILED JUNE. 1921. 1A1fi43 Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- i. it s. it

- i' er JOHN B; BEAM, 0F TYRONE, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED CASKET AND BURIAL VAULT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mal. 28, 1922.

Application filed June 11,1921. Serial No. 476,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN B. BEAM, a cit'1-' zen of the United States, residing at T rone, in the county of Blair and State of ennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Combined Casket and Burial Vault, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined casket and burial vault, one of its objects being to provide an inexpensive structure which when opened, has the appearance of a couch casket the base of which constitutes the bottom section of the vault, it being designed to apply the cover or top section of the vault to the casket at the grave so that the structure will be sealed and will provide a strong closure or vault for the body.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understoodthat, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure l is a perspective view of the 1structure opened out for use as a couch cas- Figure 2 is a transverse section, parts being broken away.

Figure 3 is a transverse section showing the cover assembled with the base to form a sealed vault.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the vault, a part being broken away.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a shallow container formed preferably of reenforced concrete and the Walls of which are preferably beveled upwardly and inwardly as shown at 2 While the space within this container is provided with a cushion 3 on which the body is adapted to rest. Suitable handles 4 ma be located where desired upon the walls 0 -the container.

The container is provided at its sides with covers 5 which can be formed of cardboard or other inexpensive material preferably flexible and which can be suitably ornamented on their outer surfaces while their inner surfaces can be provided with padded coverings indicated at 6. End closures 7 formed of similar material and suitably padded on their inner faces can be connected to the ends of the container and any desired fastening devices indicated generally at 8 can be employed for holding the covers together when the casket'is closed.

For the purpose of sealing the structure so as to protect the body after it has been deposited in the grave, a closure 9 is provided the same being formed preferably of reenforced concrete and having the lower edges of its walls beveled as shown at 10 so as to conform with the beveled edges of the walls of the container. The beveled faces of the container and of the cover or closure can be grooved longitudinally as indicated at 11 thus to receive cement or other sealing means indicated at 12 which, when hardened, will act as a key for holding the parts properly assembled.

While the body is on view the closures 5 and 7 can be extended laterally as shown so that the casket will have the appearance of an ordinary couch casket. The end closures 7 can subsequently be elevated and secured to the ends of the closures 6 after they have been swung together and fastened and before lowering the body into the grave the casket thus arranged is covered by the part 9 which is cemented or otherwise secured to the edges of the walls of the container. The entire vault thus formed is lowered into the grave and will, obviously, afi'ord ample protection for the body.

By providing a structure such as described the cost of a vault is brought within the reach of persons of very.moderate means,

who ordinarily would not be able to pay the cost of a casket in addition to that of a vault.

It is to be understood that instead of constructing the vault sections of concrete they can be made of any other suitable plastic material.

What is claimed is:

A combined casket and burial vault including a base formed of reinforced plastic material having integral side and end walls, said walls being beveled upwardly and inwardly and channeled longitudinally at their upper edges, the inner surfaces of the walls being extended inwardly, a cushion bearing on the base between and overhung by the ill) walls, flexible closures secured to the inner faces of the Walls and extending between the walls and the cushion, said flexible closures being adapted to lap to form a cover, and a reenforced cover of plastic material adapted to house. the lapping flexible closures and having beveled lower edges formed with longitudinal grooves, said edges and grooves being adapted to contact with and receive a' JOHN B. BEAM.

Witness I IVY E. SIMPSON. 

